Argument
by Mird
Summary: Ed and Al find the stone, but there's one major drawback: It can only return one of them to normal. no pairings, rated T for language. Last chapter out...
1. Chapter 1

Argument

They finally had it; the philosophers stone. After all their years of searching, it was finally in their possession.

But something was wrong. They both saw it. This is what started the argument.

* * *

"I can't believe we have it...We found it...We actually found it!" Ed whispered, staring at the blood-red stone in his hand. He had a huge grin on his face and tears threatened to fall from his eyes.

_Al was the first to notice the problem._

"Ed..." His brother looked up at the sound of his hesitant voice. "It's not big enough. I can tell...It's only enough to give back one of our bodies."

_Ed didn't think there was a problem._

"Well, it's pretty obvious who we're going to use it on." He said, smiling. "I never had any intention of getting my own body back; it was all for you, Al. Now I have the stone. I can fix you! I can keep my promise! There's nothing to discuss. We're using the stone for you."

_Al was shocked._

"...You lied, big brother." He said, his voice shaking.

Ed's smile wavered at the sound of the anger in Al's voice. "What are you taking about?"

"You promised we'd get _both_ of our bodies back; you lied. You aren't keeping the promise that you made."

Ed stared up at his brother, hurt by the venom in his words. "But Al, you're much worse off than me. You have to be my priority; at least I have half a body. You have nothing. I need to help-"

"You idiot!" Al shouted. "You have it worse than me! I feel no pain, and you feel nothing _but _pain! Ed, you don't know how scary it is to watch you get hurt like that. During your automail surgery, it was impossible for me to close my eyes. I had to watch every minute of it; I saw it all. All of your pain. I watch you at night too Ed, to make sure nothing happens to you. You cry in your sleep. I want that to end."

Ed was shocked by his brother's outburst. He slowly began to speak. "...You don't get it, Al. The only reason I went through all that was for _you_. I knew that I couldn't help get your body back without an arm and a leg. If it weren't for the hope of succeeding, I would have lived the rest of my life as a pathetic little cripple boy. Now that I have the stone, I can't possibly give up on my goal to return you to normal. I wouldn't be able to live with myself."

_The argument went on._

Winry stepped into the room from the kitchen. "I heard shouting. What are you two fighting about?"

Al was glaring at the top of his brother's head. Ed was staring at the floor, fighting back tears. _Al's never been this angry at me..._

"Winry, you settle this for us." Al said, his voice emanating with anger.

"What's the problem?" She asked.

"We found it." Said Ed, his head still lowered. He held the stone out in his shaking hand. Winry gasped.

"Well what are you waiting for? Do what you've been wishing to do for the last four years! Turn yourselves back!" Ed shook his head.

"That's what we're arguing about. There's only enough power in the stone...To change one of us back..." Winry fell silent as the truth sunk in.

"Only...One...?" There was a pained look on her face. "So after all that you did...Only one of you can go back to normal?" Her voice sounded hysterical and she started shaking uncontrollably from shock. "That's not fair! That can't be right! After everything, everything you've done for this day, and this is how it ends?!"

Al nodded. "Ed wants to return me to normal, and I want to return him to normal. You decide." Winry looked between the two brothers. They both had such a desperate look in their eyes, each one silently begging her to pick the other. She shook her head and blinked back tears.

"I can't decide this for you. I want both of you back to the way you were; I can't imagine it any other way. I'm sorry..." She looked at the floor, trying to will the universe to change and allow them both to have their wish granted.

* * *

Envy grinned his last grin as he watched them through the window. His days were numbered; he had known that from the start. But he wanted to be entertained one last time on the day he died; he had set this up. He allowed Edward and Alphonse to steal the stone, knowing that it wouldn't be big enough for them both. He was looking forward to watching them try and decide who to use it on, but this, this was perfect! Far better than he had expected!

He grinned as he fell to the ground, withering away into nothing. His own death didn't matter to him; at least his last few minutes had been an enjoyable experience.

* * *

So, should I continue this, or leave it as a one shot? I can't decide! Please tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

Argument

Neither brother would trust the other one with keeping the stone and not using it, so Winry ended up being the one to keep it safe.

She stared at the blood red stone that was in her hand, running her finger across the smooth, shiny surface. She sighed and blinked away tears before they could fall. Who would have guessed that the solution to Ed and Al's problems, the one thing that they had searched for for four years, the thing that had made them so close and important to each other, would end up being the thing to tear them apart.

They hadn't spoken to each other for days. They wouldn't even be in the same room. A few days earlier, she had been about to put Ed's arm back on after maintenance, when Al walked in. When Ed noticed his brother, he got up and left, shirtless and armless, before she even knew what was happening. It had happened more than once.

Winry heard a knock on her door. "Come in. It's open." She slipped the philosophers stone into a tiny black pouch made of soft material and placed it in the drawer of her bedside table as the door creaked open. She looked up and saw Edward standing there, in the same spot that he had stood in thousands of times before; but this time was different. HE was different.

Instead of his usual air of confidence and eagerness, he seemed less enthusiastic. The look on his face, and the sound of his voice in the few times that he spoke, was desperate and fearful. He had been like that ever since he had come home the week before.

"Winry..." He said. "Please, give me the stone. I need to return Al to normal. I made a promise, and I've kept him waiting too long." Winry's breath caught in her throat at the look on his face. She couldn't describe it; it was a face reserved only for this moment, an emotion that only Edward seemed to feel, that no one had ever tried to name.

"The way I remember it..." She began slowly. "...Your promise was to return BOTH of you to normal."

"Yeah, but there's no way for that to happen, is there? My priority was to get Al back. If I get my arm and leg too, well, that would be nice I suppose. But it's nothing more than an added bonus. I can live without them."

"Edward, I know you want the stone. But I can't give it to you. I need to be fair to Al, too. You need to agree on this before I can give it to either of you."

"But-" Winry walked over and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Get some sleep." She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him down the hall to his room.

"But-" She pushed him through the door and shut it.

"Good night!" When he didn't protest, she went back to her own room and closed the door.

* * *

"Winry, you and him are coming with me to Central." Ed said the next morning.

'Him' had been a commonly used word in the Rockbell house lately. It represented both of the Elric brothers, Al when coming from Ed's mouth, and Ed when coming from Al's mouth. (Not that Al has a mouth.)

"Central?" Winry said questioningly. "Why?"

"I'm resigning. The only reason for me being in the military was the fact that I could get exclusive information about the stone. Now that I have that, there's no point in staying. I can return him to normal. I just hope there's no paperwork involved..."

"You know you might be returning yourself to normal with the stone, not Al, right?" Winry pointed out. "You're evenly matched in this argument."

"Whose side are you on?!" Ed growled. Winry rolled her eyes.

"I'll get Al. You have the tickets, right?" Ed nodded as Winry left the room. He sighed and buried his head in his hands for a few seconds, wishing it had turned out better.

* * *

The train ride was quiet; nearly silent. Neither of the brothers would say a word with the other one next to them. Winry didn't bother to speak because she knew that they wouldn't answer her.

They sat and listened to the sound of the wheels on the train as it sped along towards Central. Ed played with his watch, ready to give it up.

After four hours* of this uncomfortable silence, the train stopped at Central station.

* * *

Roy looked up as Edward walked into the room. Walked.

"What's wrong, Fullmetal? Are you sick or something? You didn't even break down the door-" Ed didn't seem to hear him. He walked right up to his desk, paused, and then set his watch down on the smooth wooden surface. Roy raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"

"My pocketwatch. You can take it back. I'm resigning." With that, Ed turned around to leave the office. Roy was stunned.

Havoc, who was in the room as well, spoke up. "I thought you needed to find information on the philosophers stone..." He trailed off, confused. "What's with the sudden change in heart?"

"We found it." Ed said stiffly.

"The stone?" Breda asked. Ed nodded.

"Wow, that's great!" Said Fuery.

Ed spun around to face them. "There's nothing great about it!" The room was filled momentarily with silence, which was broken by none other than Roy Mustang.

"This isn't still about the 'human sacrifice' thing, is it?" He asked skeptically.

"There's only enough power in the stone..." He bit his lip, not wanting to admit his problem out loud. But he continued anyways. "There's only enough power in the stone to return one of us to normal. We got in a huge argument over who we're going to use it on and...And...Al hates me now! I'm sure of it!" Ed stifled a sob.

"...I see." Said Hawkeye. "So you both want to use it for yourself?"

Ed looked at her, genuinely confused. "What are you talking about? I want to use it for Al, and Al wants to use it for me."

Hawkeye stared at his for a few moments before leaning down to be at eye level with him. "You two really care about each other, don't you?" Ed didn't speak. "Take care of your brother, no matter how this argument turns out." With that, she left the room.

* * *

It didn't take long for everyone to hear that Edward was resigning. Apparently, there WAS some paperwork, which Ed wasn't quite ready to fill out. So he would be in the military for the rest of the week, just long enough for everyone that worked under Roy to take sides. All in all, it wasn't an argument between brothers for long. Soon it would be more like a war. (EXAGERATION ALERT!!!! SORRY!!!!)

* * *

* I don't know how long the train ride is, although I think it was mentioned once. I just know that sitting still for four hours is really hard, and any longer than that would be nearly impossible.

So, I am gonna continue this. Sorry part two took so long to come out; I had writers block. More characters are coming in in the next chapter. Sig, Izumi, Pinako, Maria Ross, Denny Brosh, Hohenheim, and Rose. If you can think of some reasons for them to be in Central, that'd be great. Everyone's going to take sides, all of which have been decided. Ed and Al each have six people on their sides, plus three that don't take sides, and Armstrong. Who's on both sides. He's the only one who can do that...He has to argue against himself, too.

SO it's going to get MUCH more interesting in the next chapter. I promise.

About Rose: I'm not sure when in the storyline this takes place, or if it's in the manga or the anime. This fanfiction is going to be independent of the plot so that characters can 'peacefully coexist' or whatever.

Reviews are appreciated!!!


	3. Chapter 3

APOLOGIES!!!

1) Sorry for not updating in...What, two months? I had writers block.

2) Sorry for the sucky last chapter. If I remember correctly, I wrote it about ten minutes before I left for school one day.

3) Sorry that I lied in the authors note of last chapter. I said some people were going to come into the story this chapter that aren't going to appear in the story at all....Although some of them I hate, so I have good reason to leave them out.

4) Sorry that this chapter's so short. Not even 1,000 words...

Chapter 3

Fuery walked down the hallway toward his dorm, exhausted after a long day of work.

"...STONE FOR YOU, NOT ME!!!"

"YOU NEED IT MORE!!!"

"NO, I DON'T! IT'S HARD ON YOU AND I CAN TELL! STOP TRYING TO ACT LIKE YOU CAN HIDE IT!"

Fuery jumped at the yelling voices coming from the Elric brothers' room. Once he had composed himself and picked up his glasses, he knocked timidly on the door, surprised to hear the yelling stop because of the minuscule sound that his fist was making on the wood.

"Is everything all right in there?" He called nervously. There was a shuffling sound inside, and after a few moments Ed pushed open the door and stuck his head into the hall.

"Yeah." He said sarcastically, his face still red with anger. "Everything's just FINE."

With that he closed the door and the yelling returned. Fuery sighed and kept walking, giving it up as a lost cause.

* * *

The fight between the two brothers had been the talk of Colonel Mustang's office all week long. Before long, it wasn't just Ed and Al who were fighting. Nearly everyone was taking sides.

"No offense to either of them, but I think Ed's right." Havoc had proclaimed on Monday. "At least he's got a functioning body. Al has nothing."

"What are you talking about?" Maria Ross asked as she walked through the office on her way to find Brosh. "Haven't you seen Ed when his automail's broken? He looks so defenseless and scared, with good reason. He could be attacked at any moment and have no way to protect himself. No one should have to feel like that, especially a child."

"She's right." Said Falman. "The kid already has enough to worry about, even without the fact that he only has one real arm and one real leg." Breda nodded in agreement.

Denny Brosh walked into the room. "There you are!" Maria said. "We have to go soon. Major Armstrong had a new mission for us."

Brosh nodded. "Yeah, we'll go soon. What're you talking about anyways?"

"Who we think should get the stone, Ed or Al." Havoc said. "I'm on Ed's side, but Maria here disagrees, along with Falman and Breda." He snorted.

Brosh blinked. "What the hell? Look, I agree with Havoc. Al can't feel or eat or -anything-. Plus, you know how Ed feels about him. Ed has perfect reason to want to use the stone for his brother."

"I agree." Said Fuery.

"So, Roy, whose side are you on?" Havoc asked casually.

Roy looked up and shook his head. "I'm not taking sides. This is for Ed and Al to decide."

Havoc snorted. "Fine. So, what about you Riza?"

Riza gave him a cold glare that made him shiver. "I agree with Roy. It is not our place to argue about something that only they can decide."

Havoc sighed. "When did you two start getting boring?"

* * *

Winry was staying in a hotel near Central HQ. The original plan was for her to stay in the dorms with Ed and Al, but she wanted to be nowhere near the brothers when they argued like this. She wasn't the only one who was sick of their yelling; many of the people who were staying near their room had requested to move because the yelling was keeping them up at night.

She stared at the stone again, rubbing her fingers against the smooth red surface of the tiny object that was supposed to save BOTH Ed and Al's lives.

She sighed and placed the stone in the tiny metal box she had made for it out of spare automail parts. She locked it and put the key under her pillow so that it wouldn't be stolen. After all, neither of them getting back to normal was worse than only one.

* * *

I don't know if I've been spelling everyone's name right. Oh well.

REVIEWS


	4. Chapter 4

…I always make you wait, like, years for each chapter…it makes me wonder if I still have any readers.

Bwa ha ha, OOCness!!!!

Chapter 4

The past few days had been living hell to Roy; his crew hadn't stopped arguing for a second, no matter how many times he had told them that it wasn't any of their business and they should just fucking _shut up_ already.

The argument got even more intense, if that was possible, when Ed and Al themselves were in the room. Although they simply shunned each other for the most part, just a single phrase could create an unexpected reaction, making both brothers burst out in angry conversation, which usually ended with Roy kicking them out of the room.

Both of them had been much more emotional than usual, the main emotion being uncontrollable fury. They weren't acting at all like they had before; they used to be so close, helping each other whenever one of them showed signs of needing assistance. Now, they just ignored such symptoms, each trying to pretend that the argument didn't bother them. They weren't very good actors.

Ed's lack of sleep was easy to notice. He had undoubtedly argued with his brother all night on more than one occasion, resulting in dark circles under his eyes and a far slower way of doing things.

Al was noticeably upset about the situation, his distressed voice clearly showing his worry for his brother when his words didn't.

For a short amount of time, Roy could just dismiss it as a simple, if extremely intense, disagreement; something that would be resolved soon, leaving both brothers happy as before. That is, until that Friday afternoon.

Everyone was getting ready to leave for home after a long week of work and endless arguments, when they heard a commotion in the hallway. Curious, they rushed out, crowding through the tiny door frame.

Edward and Alphonse were standing less than two feet away from each other, but they were yelling as if there was a canyon between them. Al's fists were clenched and shaking and the look on Ed's face was so angry, it sent a shiver down the spines of most who saw him.

"I DIDN'T SACRIFICE MY FUCKING ARM JUST SO YOU COULD LIVE THIS SHITTY HALF LIFE!!!" Ed roared, his words filled with vicious, biting venom that even Roy had never heard before.

"SO, WHAT- YOU WANT ME TO FEEL INDEBTED TO YOU OR SOMETHING?! LIKE YOU NEED ANY MORE ATTENTION THEN YOU ALREADY HAVE, MR. FULLMETAL-ALCHEMIST-CHILD-PRODIGY!" Al yelled back.

"Y-YOU DON'T GET IT! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT I DID THAT NIGHT AND YOU NEVER WILL!" Ed's latest statement had much less force than he had obviously intended; Al's two sentences had been a serious blow to him and it could be seen to everyone but Al, who didn't seem to know when to stop.

"I HATE YOU!" With that, Al's metal hand connected with the side of Ed's face, throwing the smaller one backwards with an almost slow-motion effect. His head hit the wall behind him, then pitched forward, allowing a single drop of blood to fall from his jaw onto the clean tiles of the floor.

Al didn't stick around long enough to see the look of pure pain on his brother's face; he was already storming down the hall in a direction that led to nowhere in particular.

Ed's eyes were wide with shock as he tentatively touched his cheek where a bruise was already beginning to form.

He said nothing as he stood up and, without giving any acknowledgement to the group of people watching him, walked slowly away, growing further and further away from Al- both physically and emotionally.

Roy knew this had to stop.

* * *

Shalt there be parental royed? Maybe, maybe not. Who knows.

REVIEWS


	5. Chapter 5

This chapter is freakishly short, but the next one will be longer…I hope.

Chapter 5

No one had seen Ed at all since the night before; Alphonse either, for that matter. They all knew that Ed was upset, but not seeing him was unsettling. When he came into the office, it was usually enough assurance that he was all right. Without seeing him, however, it was impossible to know.

The lack of shouting was relaxing, but the relaxation was of a cautious type; everyone was on-edge, preparing for an explosion despite the fact that the brothers weren't present.

They continued to work as normal, pretending that they weren't bothered by the absence of the two boys who were, inexplicably, always there. It was like a missing puzzle piece and they all knew it. There was a hole in the fabric of time and space, where a scene used to be woven; Ed and Al in the office, sometimes getting along or, lately, arguing. But they were always there.

Maybe they're all just impatient. It had only been a day since Ed was there last; he had other things to do, didn't he? He was fifteen. He had a life.

...

No.

His life was Alphonse. Finding the stone, getting Al's body back, making Al happy. And now Al had ruined that. Had ruined Ed. Was that selfish of him? Maybe.

All in all, the chaos didn't truly set in until four that afternoon, when Winry burst into the room and, looking distressed, yelled out a simple, five word sentence.

"The philosopher's stone is gone!"


	6. Chapter 6

NOT RoyxWinry…That's like, the weirdest pairing ever…They're just having a conversation. That's okay, right?

The ending bothers me, but I couldn't think of any other way…This ended so SUDDENLY. Tis weird. -__-

Everyone seems ooc to me, too. Or maybe I'm just being paranoid. Whatever. No flames, please? Thanks.

Chapter 6

"It was opened using alchemy," said Winry. They stood in a ring around her, leaning in to see the box more closely.

"There's no circle, though," Havoc observed.

"So it's fairly obvious, then," Roy said with a sigh. "Ed stole it."

* * *

Ed hugged his knees to his chest, a blanket draped over his shoulders. He wondered how Al could possibly be patient enough wait for him each time; sitting in an uncomfortable chair in the waiting room of a hospital with nothing to look at but the blank wall across from him.

He buried his face in his knees to stop himself from watching the clock tick away the minutes until he could see his brother. It was nearly five in the afternoon; how long had it been since he had come here? Was Al done being examined? What were they DOING to him?

He heard the door in the corner of the room open and close, but didn't bother to look up. It wasn't a doctor, he was sure of that. He didn't want to talk to anyone unless they could tell him how Al was doing.

He felt someone put a hand on his shoulder and tried to shrug them off, unsuccessfully.

"Edward," he heard a familiar voice say. "Edward, I need to talk to you."

Ed flinched. "Go away..." he muttered. The man was persistent.

"Edward, why did you take the stone?"

Ed didn't say anything at first. He lifted his head up and stared, with blank eyes, at the man in front of him. He bit his lip, not sure what he should tell the Colonel. The truth? Why not.

"Since Al said he hated me, I guess...I really didn't care what he thought of me any more. He's going to hate me either way; I may as well do something for him, right? So I...I stole the stone, and I turned him back to normal. But he wouldn't wake up..." Ed's voice got softer and softer until they couldn't understand what he was saying any more. Roy turned and looked helplessly at the other people behind him.

"What do I say to him?" he whispered frantically.

Winry sighed in an exasperated way. "Let ME talk to him," she muttered. She pushed Roy to the side and stood determinedly in front of the chair, looking Ed in the eyes. He turned away. _He looks like a little kid. _She thought._ It's unlike him..._

"Ed, what happened? Did you get Al's body back?" she asked gently, but not so much so that it made her sound like a different person.

Ed paused before mumbling a barely audible 'yes.'

"Edward Elric," a sharp voice pierced the air, causing Ed to look up suddenly in alarm. "Alphonse is awake. He-"

The nurse didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence. Ed was already out of his chair and halfway through the door.

Roy and Winry shared a look of confusion and followed Ed into the room.

* * *

Al stared up at the ceiling, not taking anything in. It was impossible. It felt like a dream to him. The soft feel of the blankets against his skin; the smell of hospital rooms that Ed had complained about countless times; the sound of his own breathing pounding in his ears. Every sense was magnified by the fact that he was the one actually experiencing them.

_Did Ed do this? _He wondered. _Did Ed get my body back for me?_ Suddenly he felt a wave of regret crash over him. He had told Ed he hated him. He had said so many things to him that he didn't mean. In his state of sub consciousness, the most irrational of fears popped into his head.

_What if the stone wasn't enough? What if Ed still had to pay the price for me? What if he had another arm stolen, or another leg- or his heart, or his whole body, and I couldn't help him like he helped me..._

"Ed..." Al groaned out loud.

"Alphonse..." Ed whispered back, his voice hopeful, if afraid.

Al opened his eyes to see Ed hovering over him, keeping his distance, but only just barely. He could see the nervousness in his brother's eyes, the fear that his 'hatred' hadn't been a lie.

Ed took a deep, rattling breath that was half relieved and half bracing as he prepared to speak.

"Al, I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you, but please, just forgive me...I just want the best for you. You're my only family, and I'm your only family, and that's really important to me."

Al sniffed loudly, his eyes filling with tears for all different reasons- happiness that he could cry again, sadness that Ed was still blaming himself, and many other feelings besides.

"I'm sorry..." Al said softly, wiping the tears away with the back of his hand. "I didn't mean what I said. I don't hate you. I CAN'T hate you. Sometimes I try to hate you, to blame you for what happened, because I feel so unsure about everything, but I...I can't. I can't convince myself to hate you. I'm sorry..." His voice got hoarser with each word until he couldn't speak any more. He fell silent.

It was hard to read the look on Ed's face, and the fact that he didn't speak didn't help matters. A few seconds passed this way and Al could barely stand it- the suspense was killing him.

Ed's face broke into a lopsided smile. He wrapped his arms gently around his brother's shoulders, careful not to press his cold automail against his bare skin. "Thank you."

* * *

"I never knew Ed could be so...Quiet," Roy mused, watching Ed and Al's hushed conversation.

"Especially after the last few days...I guess it must be a really big shock to him that Al actually came back," Winry suggested thoughtfully.

"What do you think they'll do next? Wasn't finding the stone their only goal?"

Winry was silent for a few moments before replying.

"I guess...They'll come home."

The End


End file.
